Hoaxes and Urban Legend News

An e-mail claiming to showcase photos of a hanged/hanging and/or captured Osama din Laden is a hoax. The e-mail originated as an attempt to get people to download a trojan horse virus on to their computer, but it later morphed into a scare mail warning people about the alleged apocalyptic dangers of opening the e-mail. The virus itself has been neutralized, and the dangers were never as bad as what the hoax e-mail claims.

Snopes explains the context of this Barbara Bush quote "Why should we hear about body bags and deaths? It's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?" Read the full story.

An e-mail claims that you can get your keys out of a locked car if you a) have keyless entry b) a friend has another set of keys for your car c) you both have cell phones and d) your friend triggers your remote set of keys while your on the phone with them. On problem with this brilliant scheme: it doesn't work. Read the full story.

The Al Mujahedeen Brigade claimed they had captured a U.S. solider and said they would behead him if Iraq prisoners weren't released. But it's pretty clear from looking at the photo that their "hostage" is actually an action figure. Read the full story.

The unapproved, "viral" ad depicted a suicide bomber blowing himself up next to a VW, which absorbed the blast. VW threatened to sue the ad's creators, but instead accepted their apology. Read the full story.

An excellent write-up on a honest-to-God scam in which people approach unsuspecting motorists, explain that they've run out of gas, and ask for gas money. A variant includes mothers who allegeldy need money for their baby's formula and diapers. Read the full story.